Romeo and Cinderella
by Anglo-Chan
Summary: "I'll be the Cinderella to your Romeo." "Then go trip over your slipper while I fake my own suicide." "I am starting to believe that Nijimura-senpai is not very keen on the idea of this play." (High School! AU, Musical! NijiKuro, Protective!GoM/Kuroko)
1. Chapter 1

**TRIAL STORY THAT ETERNAL EMPRESS ASKED ME FOR EEHP FANGIRLING!**

**So, this story was one of my many plot bunnies that I had posted up on my profile. I was suggested to write it out by The Eternal Empress; who is the author of the story- 'Forbidden'- an amazing Generation of Miracles/Kuroko fanfiction, one of my absolute favorites. Of course, I put it off- being the idiot writer I am, but I promised I'd finish it. So here it is!**

**Basically, in this fanfiction- it's a Teiko!AU. For the school play, Nijimura and Kuroko are chosen as the two main leads for the school play- 'Romeo and Cinderella' (Of course, inspired by the Vocaloid song). There will be yaoi, but no complete cross dressing. I don't like total cross-dressing themes- they're basically saying when a male falls in love with a cross-dressing male, that they only like them because they're females. So Kuroko will be in a female costume, but he won't be wearing a wig with boobs and stuff. We love him for being a guy, not dressing up like a woman- that's my opinion.**

**Anyway, if you like it, please review and favorite. Reviews are always helpful and inspirational, and they make me happy :) Thanks, you guys! Love ya'!**

* * *

It was a nice afternoon in Teiko Middle School- the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the wind was blowing through the trees and rustling the leaves in the crisp way that made everything seem refreshing. The famous basketball team of Teiko was busy having a practice in the gym after school. The second and third-string members of the team were busy in the first section of the gym, while the first-string was in the second. The sounds of basketballs hitting the varnished courts filled the soundproof gym, the seven main Teiko first-string members, as well as the basketball team's beloved manager, running around through the courts, practicing. For once in a while, Aomine was attending practice, and the team seemed to be working in a decently functioning manner.

"Ah, Aomine-kun. Can you pass me my Pocari bottle?" Kuroko asked, as the coach blew his whistle for a break for the team. The dark-skinned male turned to the bluenette. Though their relationship had been shifty, they were on an up-moment in the roller-coaster of 'AoKuro', as the second and third strings referred to them as.

It was very obvious that part of the reason Aomine and Kuroko's relationship had been faulty had to do with something other than basketball. Everyone on the whole basketball team other than Kuroko himself knew that Aomine harbored some kind of feelings for him, more than platonic ones. The bluenette was too oblivious to realize them. That also caused a rift in their relationship, as well as Aomine's with the team. It was also obvious that the rest of the Generation of Miracles was also smitten and overprotective when it came to their precious phantom shooter.

"Ah, it's almost time for the Teiko Spring Festival," Kise murmured quietly, sipping his water as he subtly looked at Kuroko from the corner of his eyes. "What are your guys' classes doing for the Spring Festival?"

"Class S-A is doing a thrift store boutique. It's going to be really great," Momoi gushed happily, playing with some of her pink hair. "It's a feminine shop and everything, but we're getting some male clothes too. We're also having models to attract more customers- you guys have to drop by, okay?"

"I guess," Kise offered weakly. His amber eyes darted over to Kuroko, who was drinking his Pocari Sweat, cuddling into a towel. "What about you, Kuroko-cchi? What is your class gonna do for the Spring Festival?"

The bluenette looked up from his drink, in the middle of wiping the side of his face with his towel. He looked over to the conversation, as if he hadn't realized Kise had been there the whole time, speaking. ".. Because Murasakibara-kun is in my class, we are both doing a yakisoba and noodle cafe. I hope you all will be able to make it. Murasakibara-kun is going to cook, so it is sure to taste well."

The violet-haired giant looked slightly pleased, as he walked over to the rest of them. He put down his huge bag of shrimp chips and gently ran his hand through the smaller male's teal colored locks, humming in amusement. "Ne, thank you, Kuro-chin~" He drawled, and began to talk absentmindedly. "Kuro-chin is also going to be a server. He has a cute costume to wear for the cafe, too~"

"Costume?" Midorima asked, looking over from where he continued to practice, eyes wide. He then faltered, and then looked away. "Of course, I'm just inquiring. Kuroko's attire interests me hardly. I am just surprised at the general topic."

Kuroko bristled, and slapped Murasakibara's hand away. If possible, despite his emotionless demeanor, he seemed uncomfortable. "Please refrain from telling them, Murasakibara-kun. It is not the most.. Masculine of costumes."

Momoi squealed, blushing. She nearly threw her clipboard down, running over to the bluenette and taking his hands in hers eagerly. "It's a maid costume, isn't it? This is exactly like that episode of that anime, with the maid cafe for the festival.. I'll be sure to thank your class president for this! Am I allowed to take pictures, Tetsu-kun?" She continued to ramble, as Akashi walked over.

"Is it true, Tetsuya?" He asked, narrowing his mismatched eyes. The bluenette could only nod, both of them ignoring the rosette haired woman droning on and on.

"Get me a reservation, then," the redhead spoke easily, and the jaws of the other members of the Generation of Miracles dropped. Akashi turned to them, and tilted his head. "Shintarou, Ryouta, Daiki... What are you all doing for your Spirit Festival contribution? This year, we have to do something with our class, and something with the club we are involved in. Because we haven't been informed of what we're doing for the basketball team, I'd like to know what's going on with your classes."

"The bastards in my class are lazy, so we're doing some kind of sports demonstration. By that, I'm going to be in the hot sun shooting hoops while people watch; and my classmates get all the credit," Aomine grumbled, seeming irritated. He glared slightly at Murasakibara, tapping his fingers against his side impatiently.

"We're doing a karaoke booth," Kise said, seeming uninterested. He flicked a thicket of blonde locks away from his eyes, and sighed. "Everyone's booths sound so fun, and all we do is hand over microphones and prizes." He looked over to Kuroko and Murasakibara as he said so. The bluenette didn't notice, but the violet-haired giant smirked at the model in response. Kise narrowed his eyes.

"Fortune telling booth, promoting Oha-Asa. As class president, I was allowed to choose our theme," the green-haired shooter said nonchalantly. Only Midorima and Akashi were presidents of their classes- everyone else was just another student.

"Sounds interesting," Akashi remarked, though he seemed rather taken with Kuroko than their answers. ".. I am just.. Irritated that our lovely Coach Sanada didn't have the courtesy to alert me what we'd be doing for our contribution to the festival," the redhead said. It was well-known throughout both the team and the school that Akashi was always in the loop of things, so of course, not knowing simply what they'd be doing for the basketball team obviously irked him.

"Why didn't he tell you?" Kise asked, looking surprised.

"He said that I would not approve of it, and try to change it," Akashi replied, narrowing his eyes slightly. "But he said he'd announce it right after practice, so we'd have some time to prepare. Even so, I cannot help feeling that this whole thing will end badly for those involved.." A wicked glint ran through his eyes, and everyone on the team but Kuroko visibly shuddered.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," Momoi offered weakly, and went to get more water bottles for the team. Akashi didn't say anything, as Coach Sanada blew the whistle from the other side of the gym, calling practice back into play.

"Now, for the last thirty-minutes of the game, let's have a short skirmish," he announced, checking something off on his clipboard. Everyone filed into the courts, with Momoi watching from the bleachers. "Akashi, Kuroko, Aomine- one team. Kise, Nijimura, and Midorima, the other team. Murasakibara, you can sit this one out.." Sanada trailed off, and everyone turned to see Nijimura, whose presence had been harder to detect than Kuroko's, for once. He had been taking his break apart from the Miracles, on the other side of the bleachers. Murasakibara went to sit down, while Nijimura went up to the court, nodding at Akashi.

"After this short skirmish, I'll announce what we're doing for the Spring Festival," he said simply, and moved to sit down. Once both teams had taken their place, the coach sat down and blew his whistle. The ball was thrown up, and Aomine easily swiped it down. Thus began the game- both teams scoring points left and right.

"Wow, I forgot how good Nijimura-senpai was," Momoi remarked, as the black haired senior scored a three-pointer. Though Midorima seemed rather irritated his signature three-pointer had been shot by someone else, he looked impressed as well. Murasakibara only shrugged, munching on his shrimp chips noisily.

Akashi stole the ball from Kise- and passed to Kuroko, who quickly did a shadow-pass to Aomine. The tanned male grinned slightly before he did a net-rattling dunk, the sound resonating through all of the court. Aomine dropped down at the same time the ball hit the courts and began to bounce away. Sanada blew his whistle, and they returned to starting position. The game started again- this time, Akashi's team was in the lead, 28-22. But the tides kept shifting.

"Watching them makes me tired.. Is Kuro-chin okay?" Murasakibara asked, and Momoi looked over to the phantom player. It was well-known he had terrible stamina, but he seemed to be keeping up rather well despite it having been ten minutes of intense playing. ".. I've never seen him work that hard."

Midorima shot a half-court three-pointer, and the scores began to balance out.

"Maybe Tetsu-kun is getting excited to show Nijimura-senpai how he's improved. Captain doesn't play much since you guys always dominate the courts," the manager said wistfully. It was a shame that he didn't get to play much since the Miracles came around and stole the show- Nijimura truly was talented.

After a fifteen more minutes of a tough game, Akashi's team barely won by five points. Everyone was sweating and panting- and there was a moment of silence, in which the Miracles and Nijimura all smiled at each other. Momoi stopped, her heart almost dropping- it was if they all loved basketball again. The moment was absolutely precious and shocking and completely breathtaking-

_Until Kuroko fell over, passed out from exhaustion._

"Goddammnit, help me get Tetsu to the nurse!"

"Don't carry him like he's your bride, dumb Aomine-cchi!"

"L-Lift by the legs! Not as if I care or anything.."

"Nee, maybe he's just hungry~"

"Atsushi, don't you dare try to feed Tetsuya."

"JUST HELP TETSU-KUN!"

In the midst of all the chaos, Nijimura sighed, grabbing his water bottle. He wetted his towel with the cool water, and gently wiped Kuroko's face while everyone was arguing. In a few seconds, the bluenette male's eyes fluttered open.

".. Nijimura-senpai?"

".. Yes?"

"Thank you for the help, but you're on my toe."

"Sorry," the black-haired senior said, and helped the bluenette up to his feet. Kuroko gave a subtle smile to the captain of the basketball team, who offered a small smile in return. The two stood up just as the Miracles noticed Kuroko was back on his feet. They quickly crowded over him, Nijimura fading away to Sanada's side instead. The coach cleared his throat, all of the players quickly snapping to attention- besides Akashi, who suddenly seemed rather irritated.

"Practice is over, but before you all leave, I'd like to make the announcement on the basketball team's contribution to the Spring Festival," the coach announced, pushing his glasses up. Nijimura passed him the clipboard on the bench, and he flipped a few papers into the stack. All of the miracles listened in with interest, as Sanada began to read. "This year, the basketball team has been asked by Teiko's very own headmaster to put on a play of the new Broadway play, 'Romeo and Cinderella.' Only the first and second-strings will have a chance to audition and be in the play- third string will be working on prop designs and such. Questions?"

"A play like Romeo and Cinderella.. That will be a romance, right? Even if Momoi participates, how are we going to do that with all guys and one girl?" Nijimura asked, narrowing his eyes. Sanada cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable.

"If it comes to it, there will be counter-gender roles," Sanada answered. The atmosphere in the gym was suddenly tense- though all of the Miracles were thinking of one thing- Kuroko Tetsuya wearing a dress. "Of course, we will ask whoever auditions what part they are comfortable playing. The auditions will be tomorrow, and all we ask is you speak some short, given dialogue, sing a few scales for range, and perhaps dance. The music teacher is helping out."

".. Am I allowed to participate?" Momoi questioned, tilting her head. Sanada nodded, and she giggled in delight. Everyone felt nervous suddenly.

"All first and second-strings must audition, but we're not accepting everyone. Whoever is not cast will be put into the backstage hands, of course," the coach explained. he tugged his collar, and gestured to the door. ".. The main roles are on a few flyers from the playbook, that we have on the bleachers. Collect one before you leave.. You guys can go now," he said quickly.

Without further ado, the Miracles quickly left. Nijimura stayed a bit after them, grabbing the last flyer on the bleachers. A feeling of dread grew in the bottom of his stomach, and he sighed in annoyance at the flyer.

It was probably the most cliche play he had ever seen. With a sigh, he already knew how the roles would be cast. He shoved the poster into his duffel bag and headed out of the door.

_Tomorrow would be interesting.._


	2. Chapter 2

**Second update out of the five for your guys's Holiday present! Hope you enjoy this new chapter of Romeo and Cinderella. This has to be one of my favorite stories to write. Not only does it include an aspect of musicals, but it also has KNB! Hooray!  
**

**Anyway, please read and review! Thanks, guys, and happy holidays~!**

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_"Romeo Vonn Hossmere; aged twenty six. Romeo is the son of King Montague and his wife the queen, who rule over the kingdom of Anvith. His character is naive and protected about the ways outside of a castle, but he is truly heroic, noble, and kindhearted on the inside. He falls in love with Ella Louise during the grand ball, and is the one to nickname her Cinderella. His actor should have good sense of comedic timing, a very just character, a rich, baritone-tenor voice, and sufficient ballroom dance skills or tap, enough to be rather light on his feet, as well as knowledgeable enough to perform fight and sword fencing scenes.  
_

_Ella Louise Bellebot; aged nineteen. Ella is an orphan who was taken in by evil Miss Florence Bonnefoy, forced to become both a thief, beggar, and killer to bring in cash. She is used to being betrayed, and does not experience emotions like others do. She is innocent, thinking of killing as 'helping the one who saved her.' She only comes to find Miss Florence was the one who killed her parents and kidnapped her in the end. Almost as if she is a robot, the first time she feels something is when meeting Romeo. Ella is intelligent, cunning, yet emotionally vulnerable. Her actress should be an alto to second soprano, be able to control their emotions, and dance with emotion and feeling- both tap dance, ballroom, and jazz._

_Miss Florence Bonnefoy; aged thirty seven. Miss Florence is a woman who is out for money and will do anything to get it. She kills Ella's parents and enslaves her, cruelly manipulating the young girl into becoming an emotionless slave. She wants to marry Romeo in order to become queen of the throne and get all the riches in the kingdom, until she no longer needs Ella's services and can get rid of her to erase her crimes. In an almost comedic way, she tries to seduce every male character in the show. Miss Bonnefoy's actress should be calm and collected, with good sense of comedic timing, and be able to act smoothly. She should be a character tone-quality singer, who has experience in ballroom and jazz._

_Drageir Lynch; aged forty. Drageir Lynch is the cousin of Florence Bonnefoy, who assists her in keeping Alsegor and Ella supplied with jobs that will rake in money for her. He is slick, sleazy, and violent. He only cares about money and had planned to betray Miss Florence in order to steal Alsegor and Ella, to use them as work forces._

_Alsegor Chainlin; aged twenty one. He was the orphan who was taken, but by fair means, by Miss Florence. He has held a childhood love for Ella that has gone unrequited for many years. He is a sad character, but heroic. He later falls in love with Juliette VanDelite, and recovers from his unrequited love with Ella. He is kind, heroic, and brave. His actor should have a good clearly fake smile, and be an amazing actor. No singing or dancing is needed._

_Juliette VanDelite; aged twenty two. Arian's younger sister, who was Romeo's play friend bought by the king, and has been in love with Romeo for near all of her life. She is a sweet, kind person, who tries her best to be happy, even if Romeo is not happy with her. She sould be very sweet, lovely, and kind, and portrayed in a gentle and elegant way. Miss Florence tries to get her to kill Ella, but she refuses, saying it is her love that keeps her from doing evil. Juliet sings a duet with her brother and Romeo twice- she should have a very nice voice in the mezzo to soprano range with a clear tamber; and sufficient ballroom dancing skills._

_Arian VanDelite; aged twenty six. Arian VanDelite is a commoner bodyguard of Romeo's, and has bee his protector since young. He and the prince are friends, but he envies Romeo constantly. He falls in love with Ella during an accidental meeting they have, and wishes for her desperately. Because of this, Florence manipulates him into nearly killing Romeo, after which he kills Miss Bonnefoy and gives his life to protect the prince. Arian's actor should be able to use a stone-face, and hardly show emotion at most times, but be subtle with conflict and anger. He should be an emotional singer. No dancing is required for this part._

_Samson Vann Hossmere- King of the kingdom, and father of Romeo. He is a kind ruler, but is getting sick. He wishes Romeo to marry so he can inherit the throne. He is in few scenes, but should be a powerful and authoritative, yet kind type of actor, who can be caring._

... Tetsu, I'm sorry, but this whole play is going to be shit."

"Aomine-kun, the script is not so bad."

"It doesn't matter if the script is good or not," Aomine snapped in irritation, pinching the bridge of his nose. Kuroko- he definitely liked the smaller boy and his innocence was alluring and adorable at times- but how did he not see the problem with putting this play on? "Tetsu, first off, there's only one girl in our basketball team, and there are three female roles, duh."

"But Coach Sanada said that some males will just have to play female roles, right?" the bluenette asked innocently, looking at the flier, where the main characters' roles were listed. "I think they have it figured out well enough, so we shouldn't worry. Who do you want to be, Aomine-kun?" The bluenette asked, unwrapping his vanilla Popsicle. The two had gone to the convenience store after school to get ice cream and were looking over the play on the flier.

"I don't really care. I guess I kind of have to audition, so if I do get a part," Aomine started, and looked over the flier once more, "I guess I'd want to be a small part with no singing or anything. Maybe I could be the king or something." He took the wrapper off of his chocolate Popsicle and discarded it into the rubbish. His eyes suddenly widened, as he remembered his thoughts from basketball. Kuroko.. wearing a cute dress. ".. What about you, Tetsu?"

"I was thinking Arian. It says he is emotionless most of the times and does not need to dance, which is a good thing," the bluenette said, nodding at the poster rather contently. Aomine licked his Popsicle and frowned, narrowing his eyes at the piece of paper.

"But it also says here that Ella is an emotionless character," Aomine hopefully suggested. Kuroko looked up at him blankly, and he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. "I wouldn't mind being cast as Romeo if you're my Cinderella, Tetsu," he whispered teasingly. Though in truth, the tanned male actually wouldn't mind being Kuroko's love interest, even if on stage.

"I'm not sure if I am comfortable wearing a dress," the phantom said honestly.

Aomine and Kuroko began to walk from the convenience store to the bus stop, where they usually parted when walking home. "Yeah, but if you don't play Cinderella, who will? There aren't any other girls in the basketball team other than Momoi- and the only one she could play in this cast is Juliette. She's too happy to play Cinderella," he said gruffly, scratching the back of his head. Kuroko smiled a bit, as he licked at his Popsicle, looking down.

"It's cute how you and Momoi-san know each other so well. Perhaps you should be Romeo, and she can be Cinderella," the teal-haired male suggested. Aomine's eyes widened.

"Did you not just hear me? I said she could never play Cinderella, it doesn't fit her," the tanned basketball player steamed, his cheeks burning. Momoi was like a dumb younger sister to him, not a love interest. The only one he was interested in was Kuroko. ".. Besides, I think you'd look better in a dress than her. She's a woman-tarzan or something, I swear."

"Aomine-kun, that wasn't very nice," the bluenette chastised, waving his Popsicle at the other male. Aomine rolled his eyes, but grinned. It was nice being able to talk so casually to Kuroko again. Their falling outs had happened a lot lately, and it hurt whenever he couldn't find the courage to apologize and speak to his shadow. Whenever he and Kuroko were in good terms in their relationship, Aomine treasured those times and made the best of them.

The two finished their ice cream in silence and made their ways to the bus stop. Aomine had to continue on- while Kuroko would take the bus home. The tanned male's heart momentarily sank- he'd see Kuroko tomorrow of course, but he wanted to spend more time with Kuroko. He was about to say something when a wooden Popsicle stick was shoved in his hands, and he could only watch the bluenette shadow board the bus. Dumbly, Aomine watched the bus take his love away- and stared down at the Popsicle stick in his hands, a smile etching its way across his lips. Damn, no wonder Momoi had fallen for Kuroko. He had slick moves.

_Winner of one free ice cream at the convenience store._

* * *

Nijimura read over the sample dialogues on the back of the flier from basketball practice. he was wearing his night clothes- a simple sweatshirt and comfortable basketball shorts, as he brushed his teeth. He was sitting on the edge of his bed getting ready for sleep, while reading the flier. He wasn't sure how Sanada was going to put this play on with only one female, but he was curious to see how it'd turn out. His grey eyes looked over the dialogues slowly.

After he had finished brushing his teeth, he tried some of the words out. Looking at his expression in the mirror, he mustered one up of kindness, sweetness, and absolute love. Alsegor Chainlin. "My love, who does not notice me. Ella, I have known you all your life, and you have known me mine," he spoke softly. Nijimura completely melted into the role- his acting and tone was absolutely perfect. He was the leading member of the drama department in his grade, after all. "So, why cannot you forget your desires to be free and stay with me? It is a hard life we live, yes, but it will not be one if we brave it together. I love you more than you wish for freedom. I love you more than Mistress Bonnefoy desires money, so why cannot you see? Why must you try to escape us so desperately? I.. I wish I could know."

The look of adoration and sadness dropped off of Nijimura's face as if it had been a mask. The black-haired male seemed dissatisfied with his performance, and looked over a different dialogue.. He adopted the facial expression of hardened strength and stoned emotions. Arian VanDelite. "My prince, whatever you need, I shall give to you. I have lived my life preparing for the day when I shall give my soul for yours, and spill my blood rather than yours. We have been childhood friends for all of our years, but I cannot help wonder if I am even worth anything more than another body shield for you to use, now that you will be King..."

"No," Nijimura grunted again, closing his eyes. He brought his thumb up to his mouth and bit his fingernail lightly, something he did when he was thinking about things. Arian and Alsegor didn't seem like the roles that would fit him, despite his versatile acting. "Perhaps, instead.."

In an instant, Nijimura's eyes took up a heroic shine, and his smile a naive, yet charming, and charismatic quality. He read from the dialogue with an outgoing passion- Romeo. "Dear love, may I call you Cinderella? For I see the stains of ashes under your fingernails. Of course, it is not such a bad thing for a woman to have her hands dirty. I think it is respectable such a lady so beautiful is also independent and strong. You are different from the women that have been cast my way, who will not bother to take their gloves off for a handshake, you are."

Slowly, Nijimura fell out of character- a slight smile on his face. The part of Romeo would be perfect, yes- but the Generation of Miracles would most likely be trying for the part, considering Sanada would most likely cast Kuroko as Cinderella. And Nijimura, despite his love of theater, did not want to die any time soon. He set the flier on his nightstand.

".. I guess I'll just let Sanada decide whatever he wants," he sighed, and slipped under the covers slowly. The black-haired male reached over and turned off the lamp before he settled down under the sheets, and closed his eyes quietly. Only the chirping of crickets was audible.

The thought of Kuroko Tetsuya, in a dress, swept his mind for the rest of the night.

* * *

"Oi, Tetsu! There you are. Sanada wanted to bring you in, he's starting the auditions right now. There's a form you have to fill out and give to the music teacher. I've got one for you waiting inside," Aomine called to the bluenette who was hurrying to the school theater auditorium. Basketball practice was cancelled for first and second string, who would spend their time auditioning and watching others audition for the next two and a half hours.

"Thank you, Aomine-kun," the bluenette said breathlessly. He had ran all the way from his last class, which was on the other side of the campus. "Let's hurry inside. Sorry for being late," he called as he entered. Only a few heads turned to see the phantom enter.

"Kuroko-cchi, sit over here by me!" Kise called, eagerly. The blonde was extremely excited about the play auditions. Modeling was a form of acting in some aspects, and he was excited to try his hand in theater. He hoped to be cast as Romeo, with Kuroko as his Cinderella. The blonde motioned for Kuroko to sit by him- but Aomine rolled his eyes and dragged his shadow over to the side, where the bluenette began to fill out his audition sheet. The tanned male watched him, looking at the form quickly once Kuroko had finished filling it out.

_Name: Kuroko Tetsuya_

_String Number: First String_

_Age: Fifteen_

_Auditioning For: Arian VanDelite_

_Backup Role: Alsegor Chainlin_

_Acting Experience: None_

_Singing Experience: Choir for three years in church_

_Dancing Experience: Ballroom dance for etiquette class for four years_

_Dialogues: One and Four_

_Check yes or no; are you comfortable playing a girl?_

Aomine nearly wheezed as he saw Kuroko had checked yes under the last questions. Visions of the small bluenette wearing a dress that exposed the soft of his upper chest and the milky white of his slender neck, along with his slender, curvy legs, was drool-worthy.

Suddenly, interrupting Aomine's r-rated thoughts, someone popped up from the seats behind them. Aomine whipped his head around, while Kuroko only calmly turned. It was Akashi, dangling a pair of sharp red scissors in his hands, a lazy smirk written over his face. His heterochromatic eyes studied the audition sheet Kuroko had been filling out, and he smirked.

"Ah, Tetsuya. It's too bad, I see you're not going to try out specifically for one of the main roles," the redhead commented, a slight smirk gracing his lips. "I was thinking to myself the other day, when reading this flier, that you'd be perfect for a certain role.. But I do see you're willing to play a female role if it comes down to it. How intriguing- which female role?"

"If I had to play a female role, I wouldn't mind whichever one they prefer I do," the bluenette said simply. He gave the audition sheet to the music teacher, who was passing by, and turned back around to face Akashi. He looked emotionless, despite the redhead's look. "I should do my part for the play, and that means playing whichever role I can to fill in the cast."

"How heroic sounding of you," the redhead nearly purred with a deep smile. "I'm sure it will be congratulatory when they cast you as a heroic character.. Or perhaps, the heroine.."

"Listen up, everybody!" Coach Sanada yelled from the top of the stage. He was holding two scripts of the play in his hand, and a notepad and clipboard in the other. His stern eyes raked over the crowd gathered in the seats, doing a rough estimation of role call. "Now that everyone has arrived, we'll be calling everyone up individually to do an acting dialogue, sing a little bit of a song, and maybe dance a little. You cannot leave, even if you are done."

A couple of groans echoed through the auditorium. Sanada flashed the people who gave the noises of complaint a stern look, and they shut up. "For acting, we will let you do the given two dialogues you requested for the character you wanted, and the backup one. If we think you may suit a character you did not say you were interested in on your audition sheet, we will ask you to read their dialogue. After you are done, we ask you sing something small, like a nursery rhyme or such. From there we will decide ask certain people to stay. Those who stay will do a bit of choreography. Then we decide the main cast and crew. We will email you tonight about the call list, from your school emails. Everyone, got it all?"

A few nods and murmurs of agreement passed through the auditorium. Sanada announced a few names that did not belong to anyone Kuroko knew. He turned over to wait for his turn, as Kise scampered over, just like a dog. Murasakibara followed, and so did Midorima.

"What are you guys auditioning for, ssu?" Kise asked happily, almost seeming like an eager dog as he stared at Kuroko. The bluenette didn't speak- Akashi did, snipping his scissors.

"I plan on auditioning for the role of Romeo," the redhead said with a dark smile, tilting his head innocently. He looked at the other males with a wicked laugh and a glint in his eyes. "It fits me, with the air of royalty and superiority I have. What about you all, auditioning to be commoners in the ensemble or something lowly, like that?" He asked, chuckling darkly.

"If anything, you wouldn't be a prince, you'd be a dictator," Aomine mumbled under his breath, so quietly even Akashi couldn't hear it with his emperor ears or whatever he had.

"I want to be Romeo, too, Akashi-cchi," the blonde said determinedly, his amber eyes shining. "I may not be as good as you in basketball yet, but I'm a good actor. I won't lose to you, even if you are our captain," the model warned dangerously. Akashi only laughed.

"I want to be Miss Florence," Murasakibara piped up. Aomine choked on his own spit, and Midorima went pale, crushing the head of his poor lucky item, a stuffed teddy bear, in shock. Kise looked disturbed, and Akashi only shrugged, uncaring. ".. I think she wants to get all of that money for food. So I think she's the best character out of all of them.. I think Kuro-chin should be Drageir. He can be my henchman, and I can eat him whenever I want to."

Midorima slapped Murasakibara on the head with his teddy bear, his cheeks flushing bright red. "You idiot, don't say such indecent things where others can hear you! And I can't believe you want to willingly play a woman character, and one who seduces other men! What kind of teenager are you?" The green-haired male demanded in horror. Murasakibara only shrugged, running his hands through Kuroko's hair happily. The bluenette looked up slowly.

"Midorima-kun, who do you want to be in the play?" He asked innocently. Midorima's eyes widened at Kuroko's interest in him, and a slight pink graced his cheeks.

"I.. I was thinking of trying out for the part of Arian. I like his character, and despite the fact that he dies, he does it with honor. He is most likely the only character I truly respect in the musical," Midorima replied quietly, pushing his glasses up. Kuroko blinked, and nodded.

"I see. I am also going for the same part.

.. You are going down."

Midorima almost fell over, and the bluenette shrugged, going back to letting Murasakibara play with his silky soft locks. "I was just kidding, Midorima-kun. I'm sure you have a better chance at the part than me, since you can probably sing with more emotion."

"Don't sell yourself short, Tetsuya," Akashi said. "Though I believe that you would fit a _certain_ role more than Arian, of course, I believe you will do well on your auditions."

"Thank you," the blue-haired male replied with a small nod. "I will try my best. Did any of you say you were willing to play female roles?" Kuroko asked innocently. All of the Generation of Miracles flattened visibly at the questions, and shook their heads. ".. But if Momoi plays a girl, there are still two more female roles. Who will play them, then?"

"I think Kuroko-cchi would make a wonderful Cinderella," Kise voiced everyone's thoughts. The bluenette turned to him, and the blonde blushed slightly, bashfully scratching the back of his head. "E-Er.. I mean, if you're willing to play the part. Then, I'd be Romeo, of course.."

"Don't underestimate me, Ryouta," Akashi piped in, his hetero-chromatic eyes glowing dangerously, a smirk playing on his lips. "Even if you have experience acting as a model, I might just show you up from under your feet. Don't be so arrogant, it'll be your downfall."

Kise gulped, and Kuroko shrugged. "I don't know if I'm good enough to be one of the title characters, even if there is a shortage of males willing to play female parts," he replied. The blonde visibly deflated, but Akashi only smiled. Aomine narrowed his eyes at the redhead. He was about to say something, when Coach Sanada called up the Generation of Miracles, and Nijimura, up to the stage to do their acting auditions. They all stood at the same time.

"May the best man win," Akashi said confidently to Kise, who only nodded. The Generation of Miracles made their way up the stage, while Nijimura walked up the stage from the other side.

Sanada had the seven young men line up in random order. "You'll be presenting two of the dialogues that you've picked from the ones on the flier. Once you're done with the first, just take a moment to get in character, and then go to the next one. When you're done, step back. After everyone gets through their dialogue, we'll give dialogues to those we think might be good for a certain role. Then we do group acting in scenes, and assign roles. After that, we just have you guys sing a nursery rhyme. Shintarou-kun, you'll be speaking first."

The green-haired shooter nodded and accepted the flier the music teacher handed him. The Generation of Miracles, as well as Nijimura, watched as Midorima took a second to get into character, and then spoke Arian's dialogue. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes furious, yet passionate. His posture represented someone who had been drilled into perfection through many years. He had chosen the second dialogue for Arian, where he contemplated the consequences of falling in love with Cinderella while watching her dance with Romeo at the ball. Slowly, Midorima cleared his throat, and began speaking.

"My cinder rose," he spoke quietly, his voice trembling with emotions. Everyone was silent at Midorima's acting. It was impeccable, something they couldn't imagine for such a young man. "How do you weep such tears of misery, when you are a creature whose beauty is worth the happiness of a thousand men? I do not understand why my heart beats for you, when I have been in the company of those with far fairer skin, with daintier feet for dancing; with less pain in their eyes. If I do love you, what shall I say to my prince? Will he disown me, or behead me for my treason? I have seen the way he stares at you, my rose. I believe, yet, it is worth it.."

Everyone was silent as Midorima prepared his second dialogue, which was for Romeo- his backup character. His dialogue was less impressive. He could not quite capture the naivety of the prince. It seemed the green-haired male was a match made in heaven for the part of Arian. Coach Sanada had only marked his clipboard once. The role was probably Midorima's.

"Atsushi-kun, you're up next," the coach said, and moved down on his clipboard. The violet-eyed male nodded, took up his flier, and took a step forward. The purple-haired giant took only a moment to look over the words before he started to speak. Everyone listened.

"What lovely children you own, Miss Florence. Their eyes are so unique- such a beautiful brown, and such a lovely blue. Perhaps they'd make good gifts for my nieces and nephews back in France, no? I want to just whip them into shape. Such scrawny bodies- can she even lift a sword? Can the boy even fight with his fists? How pitiful, they are. Children."

Murasakibara's voice had remained condescending, cold, and sadistic, the whole time. The purple-haired male's opinion in basketball about crushing his opponents in dust managed to come in handy for acting. His looks fit Drageir, from what a burly person the role seemed to be fit for, but his lack of energy needed improvement. It took a little bit for the coach and music teacher to talk and take notes before Murasakibara tried some lines of speech for the King, afterwards. He wasn't as good as the second part, seeming more disinterested than caring, and more bored than tired as the role. Only a few notes got marked in that part.

"Aomine, you're next," Sanada said, once he and the music teacher had finished talking.

The tanned basketball player nodded and took a step forward. He was slightly nervous- theater was definitely not his thing- but he looked at his flier and began. "What a sad thing it is to be; to be a king. You may not starve, and you may have power, but the fight against you is rough. Your brothers wish to kill you. You must marry your sister- and your son is burdened with carrying on after you pass. It is a line of murder and misery, that it is."

Sanada and the music teacher took notes rather quickly at the short dialogue. Aomine didn't have a backup character, so they let him go back. He gave a sigh of relief as they called up Akashi. The redhead and Kise looked at each other before Akashi began to speak his dialogue, after slipping into character. Aomine was shocked at the redhead.

"Every day, father," Akashi started. His character was fiery and passionate, bold, yet goodhearted. He was nearly perfect for the Romeo, if not for his appearance. Akashi would make a rather... vertically challenged prince. "I must continue to prepare to take your throne, when you are not on your death bed yet! I do not wish to marry so prematurely to a maiden who has nothing in mind other than my looks, and the power that comes with the royal throne. I would rather die than wed to someone who has no deeper feelings for me; nor I to her. Please let me choose my own bride; I do not desire my sisters, either."

Sanada nodded almost immediately, without consulting the music teacher. He checked something off on his clipboard, and Akashi grinned smugly. Kise looked nervous, and the Miracles thought that most likely, Akashi had secured the part. The redhead took a step back, and the blonde stepped forward once the coach had announced him to be next.

"Dear love, may I call you Cinderella? For I see the stains of ashes under your fingernails. Of course, it is not such a bad thing for a woman to have her hands dirty. I think it is respectable such a lady so beautiful is also independent and strong. You are different from the women that have been cast my way, who will not bother to take their gloves off for a handshake, you are," Kise spoke. His voice was suave, charming, and kind. He was absolutely perfect for the role of a handsome, kind, and yet naive, sheltered prince. Sanada took a few notes.

"Next, may I please have Tetsuya-kun?" Sanada announced to the seven lined up on the stage. The small, phantom basketball player took a step forward, looking over the flier.

Kuroko took a second to get into character- though it was hardly character at all. While the Miracles were decent to good actors, Kuroko couldn't manage more emotion than a slight change of his usual deadpan. His acting was almost.. flat. "My prince, whatever you need, I shall give to you. I have lived my life preparing for the day when I shall give my soul for yours, and spill my blood rather than yours. We have been childhood friends for all of our years, but I cannot help wonder if I am even worth anything more than another body shield for you to use, now that you will be King..." Once he finished, Sanada and the music teacher discussed for the longest amount of time, a few minutes. They didn't have him do another dialogue, and Sanada called Nijimura up. The co-captain was the last to speak.

"I hope you don't mind I took a piece of dialogue from the script that was not in the flier," the captain said with a nod. Sanada stared at him for an explanation. "I memorized it, because I liked this dialogue much more than the others on the flier. I apologize for inconvenience."

"It's all right," the coach said after a while, gruffly. Sanada uncapped his pen and looked at his clipboard, the music teacher doing the same. "Please proceed with your dialogue."

Nijimura nodded- and it took him a few moments to adopt a pained, hurt expression. It was one of misery- of someone who had been betrayed, whose foolish oblivion and naivety had been ripped away from his hands. "A-Arian," he breathed out, emotion flowing with his words. "My dearest childhood friend.. Please, open your eyes. You're fine.. Y-You're fine! Don't die on me now. We were supposed to pick wives together and get married, we were supposed to live out the days in the palace, friends forever.. Please, awaken.. I never thought the day might come when you would actually.. Actually die for me. Oh, Arian- I'm so sorry. Did you ever think of me as your friend, even? Or was I just someone to babysit?"

The whole auditorium was quiet. The Generation of Miracles could not speak- Akashi and Kise had their jaws dropped, both of them utterly shell-shocked at their senior's amazing acting abilities. Sanada wrote multiple notes on his clipboard, and the music teacher did as well.

"A-Anyway.. P-Please get back into lines. We will have you all do dialogues if we feel you fit a part you did not think of auditioning for," the music teacher managed to speak up after a while, pushing her glasses further up her nose. The Miracles complied, each of them staring at Nijimura in both shock and jealousy. How was their senpai such an amazing actor?

"Tetsuya-kun, will you please read the dialogue for Juliette?" Sanada asked. Midorima perked up- Juliette was Arian's sister. If he couldn't be the smaller male's love interest in the play, he at least got to hug Kuroko as a part of their sibling relationship- and he had many scenes with Juliette, and a few singing duets as well. Kuroko nodded quietly and looked at the flier. It took him a while to get into character and locate the dialogue on the paper.

"What sweeter thing than a love of two children. Pure as can be," the bluenette spoke. His voice was soft and sweet, subtly changed from his usual deadpan. The Miracles, and Nijimura, watched in interest. It was as if he was better at playing female roles than male roles. "Romeo, don't you think so? The love of two children that grows as they do, is the purest, the most perfect of all. Remember when we played by the palace pond, by the blooming pink flower trees? And when we played capture and pillage, you always found me first. Do you remember the days when they did not require you to find a bride? I do.."

"Let's have you also try Cinderella's dialogue, the second one," Sanada said from his seat, after he and the music teacher talked for a bit. Kuroko nodded and composed himself. He flipped the flier over to read the other dialogue over, and then got into character. Nijimura and the other first string basketball players held their breath in anticipation.

"Romeo, is it your name? I believe I have heard of you before. The prince of the kingdom who treats everyone as his friend; be it commoner, or noble. They have told me stories of your kindness, and yet your naivety. You believe the world will become a better place for everyone, and yet, you, as heir, do not know of the prejudice and pain that commoner like I go through every day. People who live in innocent oblivion, like you, are the worst." Kuroko's voice had an edge of coldness to his usual monotone- he was the spitting image of Cinderella, and her cold, blank lack of emotion. "I cannot dance with you anymore. Please.. excuse me."

Coach Sanada checked something off on the clipboard, without even having to consult the music teacher, who did the same thing. They nodded, and the bluenette took a step back. "Kise, can you please try for the part of Alsegor?" He requested. The blonde weakly nodded, seeming discouraged, but took the flier and complied with forced eagerness.

"I will smile for you, my darling Ella, until the end of time. I will continue to love you for as long as I live, and I will not forget the strength you gave me when I believed there was no hope at all," Kise spoke softly, and gave a soft, gentle smile, that was definitely model-worthy. "However, I have found.. I believe I have found someone else who fills the hole you have left in my heart. It will take a while for me to stop seeing her as another person who might take your place, but I believe I can learn to love her. But, thank you, for the hope you have continuously given me. You will always take a place in my heart, dearest Ella."

Coach Sanada and the music teacher nodded in approval, taking notes. "That was all for the selective dialogues," he said, and passed around a handful of scripts to the basketball players lined up. "Please go to scene 16, page 154. Murasakibara- you'll be Drageir. Kise, be Alsegor. Midorima, be Arian. Kuroko, try both Juliette and Cinderella. Aomine, be the King. Nijimura, be Romeo.. and Akashi, please try Miss Florence," Sanada said. The air tensed suddenly.

".. I am to be.. a female role? I put on my audition sheet that I would like to be a male role," the redhead seethed darkly. It was bad enough that Kuroko was likely to be Cinderella while Nijimura would most likely be Romeo- he would not play a female role, no matter what!

"Please just try it for now. We require full cooperation to make this play a success, and such, some people may be playing parts they do not want, nor feel comfortable with," Sanada replied, seeming unwavered despite the violent aura that Akashi radiated. Everyone settled into their scripts. Sanada signaled for the scene to start, and Murasakibara began.

"This is unacceptable, that such children could foil our plans! And now, I will not be able to fulfill my own," he spoke, anger lacing his usual lazy drawl. The next line was Miss Florence's. Akashi looked ready to roll some heads as he rolled his eyes, but replied.

"It is your fault this is happening, you foolish miscreant! I will not be defeated so easily- mark my words. I plan on having at least one of you fall!" Akashi's words were angry- not only because Miss Florence was as well, but because he had to play the role in the first place.

"Arian!" Nijimura cried out. The stage directions said that Arian crumpled to the floor as Miss Florence suddenly charged at Romeo, the guard jumping in front of him to save the prince's life. Arian managed to push Miss Florence off of the roof of the palace, right at the exact moment she had stabbed him in the heart with her dagger. She fell off screaming.

"P-Prince," Midorima spoke quietly, his voice labored, as if he was dying.

"Brother," Kuroko said, his voice cracking with sadness. The Miracles plus Nijimura faltered at the sadness in the phantom's voice, before they realized he was just acting, and went on. "Please, hold on, Arian... W-We.. We will call the medics! They shall arrive. You will not die.. You will not die," Kuroko murmured, choking in a few places, as if he was sobbing.

"I.. It's too late," Midorima rasped quietly. Nijimura growled.

"No! Do not speak of yourself as if you are dead. Doctors!" he cried out loudly, his voice full of anguish. "Doctors, come over here! My right hand man has been wounded! Doctors, where are you!" he nearly screamed, and choked on a sob. "Arian, my faithful friend.. You.. You will not die here. You will become a brave warrior, not one defeated by a coward like her.. Keep your eyes open, please," Nijimura rasped, as if a hole had been cut in his heart.

"Please do not cry for me, your highness," Midorima said softly, and coughed. ".. Take.. T-Take care of Ella, and my sister, please.. Know that.. Know that I do not regret this decision. There is no need.. No need to call the doctors... for me." Slowly, Midorima's voice faded off, like a light slowly diminishing in the darkness. Kuroko gave a small squeak.

"B-Brother, no.. Please don't.. Please don't die and leave me alone.."

"A-Arian," Nijimura whispered, obviously- his character being in complete denial. "My dearest childhood friend.. Please, open your eyes. You're fine.. Y-You're fine! Don't die on me now. We were supposed to pick wives together and get married, we were supposed to live out the days in the palace, friends forever.. Please, awaken.. I never thought the day might come when you would actually.. Actually die for me. Oh, Arian- I'm so sorry. Did you ever think of me as your friend, even? Or was I just someone to babysit? No, wake up.. W-Wake up..!"

"Your little friend is dead. I guess that stupid woman was good for something other than seducing men half her age," Murasakibara piped in, spitting the words out acidically.

"I will have you executed!" Nijimura roared out in anger, emotion filling his voice. By this time, the whole auditorium had been commanded under the spell of Nijimura's acting. "How dare you speak of the dead in such a disrespectful way! Arian had the honor of thirty men, unlike you, who are the lowest of the low! I shall.. I shall behead you myself!"

"Calm yourself, prince Romeo," Kuroko spoke up quietly. "Now is not the time for such threats. He will be tried fairly. For now, we should honor Sir Arian, and not leave him out in the rain. Let's take him in." His voice was calm and cool, like the flow of a constant water.

"Juliette, please do not cry.. Sir Arian was a noble, good man, but he would not want his sister to cry over something he did not regret," Kise whispered softly, his voice kind and caring. The blonde's facial expression was perfect to match Alsegor's role.

"How can you ask me not to cry for my brother?" Kuroko answered, quietly. Despite his lack of acting skills, he was doing a superb job at switching persona's for both respective female roles. "I didn't cry when I knew Romeo did not love me. I did not cry when I saw he and Ella together- but I cannot possibly stop the tears for my dearest brother. He was the only one I had, and now he is gone, Sir Alsegor. I cannot be strong during these times."

"Then allow me to help support you," the blonde replied quietly, eyes shining in emotion. "Let us take our fallen hero into the castle. The rain is no welcoming celebration for the heavens whom have accepted the fallen warrior, Sir Arian back through their beloved gates."

"Do not weep, Juliette, Romeo," Aomine spoke up. He only had one clump of lines in this scene, like Akashi and Murasakibara. "For although our beloved child is gone, he is resting somewhere peacefully now. He has given his life without regret for yours, and you should be able to gather the strength for him not to cry. A king must hold himself highly. Let us honor him, and take him inside now," he spoke. The tanned male tried not to speak too fast.

"Y-Yes, father. Come, Ella," Nijimura said. The players turned the page, but the scene was done. Sanada motioned for them to hand in the scripts, after he finished taking notes.

"All right, you can all get into line now. You're going to be singing a few scales, and the Japanese alphabet for Sano-sensei," the coach said with a nod. He seemed very satisfied with their performances, and the music teacher even smiled at them. They got into line and began to sing scales. The music teacher tested each of them on their range, and tone quality.

Kuroko's voice was very clear, and he could still hit most notes a female should be able to access. He was an alto-mezzo range, the perfect range for a Cinderella actress. Akashi could hit alto notes at the highest- his lowest, being a bass. Murasakibara, Aomine, and Midorima were all baritones to basses, and Kise was a tenor to bass. Nijimura had a clear baritone to tenor range, covering all vocal ranges required for the role of Romeo. Once they were done with the singing test, Sanada and Sano let them sit back down in the audience.

"You were all very good," Kuroko commented as they took their seats again. Akashi was fuming dangerously, and Kise seemed disappointed, but smiled back. Midorima and Murasakibara seemed most pleased, while Aomine was completely indifferent to the audition.

"I can't believe it.. Nijimura-cchi-senpai is going to get the part of Romeo now," the blonde lamented, tears collecting in his eyes. "Now what will I do if there's going to be a kiss scene in this play? I couldn't continue to live if Kuroko-cchi had to kiss someone else!"

"Be quiet, you fool," Akashi hissed, conjuring up a pair of sharp, red scissors out of no where. A dark black aura seemed to surround him, his mismatched eyes glowing evilly. "Unless you want me to stab you right in the heart, just like Miss Bonnefoy does to poor Arian in the play."

Midorima and Kise gulped. The blonde willingly shut his lips, while Murasakibara took out a bag of chips and pointed to the stage, changing the subject. He opened the snacks and tilted his head. "Arara~ Look, it's Momo-chin's turn to perform her dialogue," he drawled.

The Generation of Miracles turned to see their pink-haired manager happily holding her flier. It seemed her first choice in parts was Cinderella, and her second was Juliette. She had finished her Cinderella dialogue, to which no one really paid attention to, and did the second.

"Ah, that girl who is dancing with Romeo is very beautiful. Her hands are stained with ash, though," Momoi said softly, a tinge of sadness lacing her voice. ".. He's looking at her like she's the only girl that exists in the world, and she's not even.. She's not even paying attention to him. Does she know how special she is, to be held in his arms so closely? I've been trying for all my life to get him to hug me, to hold me, to love me.. And in one night, she does what I couldn't, for nearly two decades. I'm pathetic, being jealous over a woman who does not know me; for a man who does not love me.. I.. I should be happy the one I love is finding what he has always wanted.. True love... Even if I will never see it myself."

Sanada and Sano quickly jotted down notes about the manager's performance. The Miracles turned back to their conversation, with Murasakibara nodding appreciatively as he munched on some potato chips. He affectionately fed Kuroko one, the bluenette munching on it in amusement, oblivious to the angered glares Murasakibara was getting because of him.

"Momo-chin is good at Juliette, but she's too happy for Cinderella," the purple-haired defense specialist noted. Akashi nodded, slipping out of his terrible mood momentarily to agree.

"That's exactly what Aomine-kun said yesterday when we were walking home together," Kuroko noted with a slight smile. "I said that because he knows Momoi-san so well, he should be Romeo and she should be Cinderella," the bluenette remarked, remembering. Aomine flinched as stares turned to him- angry that he had spent alone time with Kuroko.

"I told you, Tetsu. She's like an annoying younger sister to me, nothing else. Plus I like-" the tanned male faltered at his mistake, and blushed slightly. "I mean, she likes you. Haven't you noticed the crazy stares she gives you all the time?" He tried to cover his mistake. Kuroko seemed to be the only one not to notice the obvious hole in his words.

"I know, I just think it's cute Aomine-kun and Momoi-san are such close childhood friends. Just like Romeo and Juliette in the play," the bluenette said fondly, watching the rest of the actors to their dialogue. "Now that I've read over something like this, I think I am beginning to like theater and musicals... It is very creative, and the stories are interesting."

"Hopefully you don't quit the basketball team for the theater club. I know these little first years would miss their phantom," a new voice added, as Nijimura walked up to the group sitting on the side of the auditorium seats. All attention snapped to the co-captain of the basketball team, who walked up nonchalantly. "Besides, not all theater is fun like this. Some of the musicals that we do in the club are pretty bad. Only a few are good, you know."

"Shuzo-senpai," Akashi said, interrupting Nijimura's addressing of Kuroko with narrowed eyes. "What a coincidence you came over here. Did you happen to be eavesdropping on our conversation? Didn't your mother ever tell you that something like this is rude?"

"I didn't purposefully hear you guys," the senior student responded easily. He wasn't at all fazed by Akashi's anger. Nijimura wasn't sure yet if he was to be cast as Romeo- so there was no point in prematurely worrying about whether or not he'd have to dodge flying scissors, snacks, modeling magazines, Oha-Asa items, and porn videos at practice yet. There was no point in stressing himself out about the death threats before they came, anyway. "I was just walking by to get my book-bag from the entrance of the theater when I overheard."

"How convenient," Kise muttered forlornly, as he sunk into his seat. Nijimura sighed. So it seemed even the cheerful blonde was irritated at him for his performance earlier.

"Nijimura-senpai, you're in the theater club? Is that why it looked like you have had acting experience before?" Kuroko spoke up, breaking away from the awkward tension between the Miracles and their co-captain. The black-haired basketball player nodded, and Kuroko smiled slightly. "No wonder. You seem to be a very good singer and actor, senpai."

"Thanks," Nijimura replied with a cool smile- and the aura around them got even darker.

Momoi suddenly began to bound down from the steps after she had finished her audition happily, practically knocking everyone in her path down as she rushed to get to Kuroko. Nijimura slipped away quickly to avoid being hit by the flailing pink-haired girl, who jumped into Kuroko's arms, squealing happily. "Did you see me, Tetsu-kun? Did I do good?"

Nijimura watched from the sides as Kuroko nodded with a slight smile.

The co-captain of the basketball team let a chuckle escape his lips as he moved away from that side of the auditorium in favor for the opposite side. He sat down in one of the chairs on his own, away from the others, and began to read. As he did, he couldn't help the thoughts of he, as Romeo- and Kuroko, as Cinderella, from racing through his head. He did want to be Romeo in the play- very badly, in fact- but if he was cast, the Miracles would be at his throat, accusing him of making a move at their precious Kuroko Testuya. Nijimura sighed, feeling rather conflicted. He either get the part and suffer from the Miracle's torture, or not get the part and watch and suffer in silence and jealousy. Either way, he suffered rather a lot.

The captain of the basketball team sunk into his chair with a sigh, as he turned the page.


End file.
